Cole's Restaurant Review

: The history of Cole's, one of the oldest restaurants in L.A., dates back to 1908. A century later, this nostalgic downtown spot was reinvigorated by nightlife guru Cedd Moses and BLD chef Neal Fraser. Many guests request to sit in the booth near the bar that was once the regular roost for gangster Mickey Cohen. Cole's lays claim to the invention of the original French dip, and the restaurant features a lively meat-carving station. The menu is small --- hand-carved beef, lamb, pork and turkey --- but the meat is top quality, roasted to a juicy turn then placed between slices of a thick French roll. Add Swiss, cheddar, pepper jack, goat or blue cheese; don’t miss the aptly named house-made atomic mustard. Sides like bacon potato salad are classic but tweaked with a Fraser-inspired gourmet edge; his other influence is found in the dessert menu, featuring a sticky bourbon pecan pie and dark chocolate cream pie. Augment accordingly with historic cocktails like the Sazerac, or an original creation such as the Red Car made with rye whiskey, Cynar, Luxardo and Maurin liqueur. A back room houses a cocktail lounge called The Varnish that exudes speakeasy style.